Professor Layton and the Puzzle Cube
by tpchicken
Summary: Set after "The Curious Village" Prof. Layton, Luke & Flora set off to help an old friend find his missing Uncle. But his Uncle lives in a huge house shaped like a cube filled to the brim with puzzles. Can our heroes solve them all?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Welcome to my first Prof. Layton fic! I bought this game a week ago and was instantly hooked! Now I want all things Layton, and I want them now! Serious, when is the next one coming out in America?! So a little background on me: I'm a stay-at-home-mom with a energetic 16 month old daughter. This doesn't give me lots of time to write, but I'll do my best to be as prompt as possible with updates. I hope you enjoy this little romp through Laytonland!

Disclaimer: I don't own it, because if I did, I'd totally have 2 & 3 already!

- - -

The Laytonmobile bounced happily down the winding country road towards the large looming cube. Flora, Layton's newest ward, sat in the back seat quietly, as she often did. Flora rarely spoke unless it was something very important, probably because she had been almost totally raised in a town full of robots, with no real people to talk to. Luke, Layton's young apprentice, sat in the front passenger seat taking in the sights and sounds of nature, pausing often to ask a question or two. Professor Layton himself sat in the driver's seat, a smile on his face and a puzzle working in his mind.

Two days earlier, Professor Layton had received a letter from an old friend from college, Mitchell Jackson. Mitchell had an uncle, Daniel Jackson, who, once he had obtained his fortune, build himself an odd house, cube in shape, with many passageways and puzzles. Mitchell, being good only with numbers, had been taken on as his Uncle's accountant and his Uncle built him a small, comfortable cottage, behind his Uncle's house, so that he may be close to take care of his Uncle's many financial needs.

Mitchell loved his slightly eccentric Uncle, but was afraid to set foot in his Uncle's home. Uncle Jackson's home was a variable maze filled with puzzles that often confused Mitchell's number-minded head. He had gotten lost several times before his Uncle drew him a map of the ground floor, so that he wouldn't become lost on the way to their weekly meeting.

About six weeks ago, Uncle Jackson had left Mitchell a letter on the back door of the cube, saying that their weekly meeting were postponed until further notice. This has happened twice before, but always only lasted a week or two. Now that it had been a month and a half, he was worried that his Uncle had somehow gotten lost in his own house. Not wanting to disappear in the house himself, he had sent a letter to his old friend who had always been good at such things, hoping that Professor Layton could crack the mysteries behind his Uncle's disappearance.

The Laytonmobile rumbled down the gravel path behind the cube house and came to a stop next to the cozy cottage. "Look Flora! It looks like a gingerbread house!" exclaimed Luke. Flora nodded in agreement.

Luke bounded out of the car and grabbed his satchel. Layton was helping Flora out of the back seat when Mitchell Jackson opened his front door and walked towards his friend. "Hershel! Its been too long! I'm sorry you had to come in such awful circumstances."

"Me too, me too, but I'm grateful to be of any service. That's quite an intriguing building!"

"You're correct. Uncle Daniel is (or should I say was?) quite the character. I do hope he's alright in there."

"We'll do our best to find him, Mitchell," reassured Layton, placing a hand on Mitchell's shoulder.

"I appreciate that Hershel. Now come in for a bit of a rest and some food before to tackle the house, and I'll make a pot of tea and find the map of the first floor. That will make the first bit of your search much easier!"

"Yes, quite, although I'd wager that your Uncle didn't give you all his secrets in that map."

The group entered the small cottage. Layton and Mitchell spent an hour reminiscing and getting reacquainted while Flora sat daintily on a chair, sipping tea and taking in her surroundings. Luke had found Mitchell's roommate, a small gray tabby cat who went by the name of Ebenezer and was busy scratching him behind the ears.

After getting all the facts that Mitchell knew about his Uncle's odd house, Layton and his two young wards stood up and prepared themselves for their adventure. It was shortly after 1 in the afternoon, and they planned to spend the next 5 or 6 hours searching and then return to the cottage for supper and sleep. Mitchell had graciously offered Flora his sitting room instead of venturing out with her male companions, but with her shy nature, she refused, feeling safer with Layton and Luke, even if they were about to go into the cube building.

The back door led them into a small but well furnished kitchen. Gleaming appliances stood motionless and clean, as though they had never been used. An inspection of the refrigerator found nothing but bottled water. The cupboards were bare. "Quite interesting," muttered Layton.

"What's that Professor?" asked Luke.

"Such a large and expensive kitchen to never use it. Its something I'll have to think about. Come this way, I'd like to inspect the study first."

Layton motioned to the other two towards a swinging door, the only one to lead out of the kitchen. Luke fell into step on Layton's right, Flora on his left, her hand gripping tightly to his sleeve. As Luke swung the door out into the hallway he let out a sigh of awe at the sight. The hallways were a variable maze! Clutching the map in his right hand, Layton led his two companions down the hall. They made a right, then left, right, right, left, straight and then left. At the end of that hallways was a ornate oak door. It was the only door they had seen on the whole journey from the kitchen to the study.

The study was as meticulously clean as the kitchen had been. Layton set Flora in search through the files of papers for any useful information on the house or history of Uncle Daniel. Luke had already scanned the desk and found a carved wooden box with a sliding puzzle on the top. He set himself to solving it, in hopes that it would open the box.

Meanwhile, Layton was studying several old photographs lining the walls. All were groups of children. Some were playing cricket, sledding down snowy slopes or swimming or simply chasing each other around a large field. In some the children were lined up, like they had been posed, all smiling broadly at Layton, like they shared some secret joke. It seemed that these were several generations of a family. Layton recognized Mitchell in one or two of the photographs.

Pausing his search, Layton went over to Flora to check her progress. "Find anything my dear?" he asked gently.

Flora shook her head no, "It seems to be just strings of numbers. I don't understand."

Layton mused to himself, "Odd that someone who needs an accountant for all his financial dealing should have so many pages full of numbers..."

Just then a little click was heard and a whoop of joy as Luke solved the puzzle he had been concentrating on. The top of the box slid off and he rummaged through the contents. Three scraps of paper were all that the box had contained. The first had only a date written on it: 15 June 1925. The second simply said: To err is human... The third was a string of numbers and arrows: 7 (left arrow) 2 (left arrow) 19 (right arrow) 7 (right arrow) 4 (right arrow) 18.

"What could this all mean?" wondered Luke. They all took a moment to ponder.

"Ah ha!" solved Layton. "The man loved puzzles, did he not? He must have written all his memoirs in code."

"How complicated!" complained Luke.

"But brilliant, my boy. Uncle Daniel would only want certain people reading his information. By writing it in code, he could insure that only a few would break it and learn his information."

"But what do these all mean?" Luke placed the three notes side by side on the desk.

"The first I think I can surmise quickly, but the second and the third we'll have to ponder on longer," replied Layton. He picked up the first note with the date on it and went back to the wall.

"Hmm, this should be it, I believe." Layton removed one of the photographs off the wall and revealed a small wall safe.

"Wow, Professor, how did you know that would be under there?"

"Its the only picture that seems to fit the date, Luke."

"But how do we open it?"

"... to forgive divine..." came Flora's quite voice as she held the second note. "Try two, four, seven."

Layton manipulated the safe's dial and it opened without a hitch. "Brilliant Flora!"

"How did you know that!" Luke asked.

Flora gave him a knowing smile, "The first two numbers were easy, 'to' equals 'two' and 'FOR-give' equals 'four', the last was a guess since seven is often associated with divinity."

"You better watch out Luke, or Flora is going to give you a run for your money as my apprentice!" smiled Layton amusedly. Luke scowled. Focusing back on the safe, Layton swung open the door. Inside the small box was a large ornate key with a tag on it. Written neatly on the tag was the words 'For Henry.'

"Another puzzle," mumbled Luke. "I wonder who Henry is."

"I'm not sure, we'll have to ask Mitchell when we return this evening," Layton glanced at his pocket watch. "Come, we only have another 3 or 4 hours this afternoon. I'm satisfied that Uncle Daniel is not on the ground floor. If he doesn't want to be found, he wouldn't be hiding where Mitchell could find him easily with his map. Why don't we find the staircase and check the next floor?"

Layton pocketed the key and Luke put the three scraps of paper into his satchel to study later. Layton then pulled the map back out and located where the staircase should be. It seems as though it lined the outer most walls and spiraled up. Layton couldn't be sure how many floors there was to the house until he could get a good look at the staircase. Then he would know how much would be ahead of them.

Luke and Flora were back on either side of him as they traveled the winding maze of hallways. They saw no other doors and met no other people along the way. They walked until the arrived in an open foyer lined with plush benches and marble statues. The staircase was indeed grand. It was made of marble with a polished oak banister. Not a fingerprint could be seen on its glossy coat.

The three of them climbed the winding staircase carefully, stopping at the second floor to continue their investigation. A painting hung on either side of them at the entrance to the many more hallways. On their left, a portrait of a portly man with a shock of white hair and large mutton chop sideburns. The nose was familiar to Layton and he surmised that this might be the infamous Uncle Daniel, or at least a close relative to Mitchell. There was a twinkle in the eyes that made Layton uneasy, so he turned around to concentrate on the other painting. On their right, the picture depicted a meadow on a warm, breezy day. Both were as tall as Flora. Layton took a closer look.

"Look here Luke, there seems to be a boy in this picture playing in the meadow. Its hard to see unless your very close and staring at this exact angle. Look right here," Layton touched the painting gently where the boy was. To his surprise, the picture swung open, hiding a dark passage way.

"Golly Professor! Where do you think that leads?" Luke asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, let's investigate! Carefully now, we'll need some light," he said as he grabbed a candlestick that was on a small table next to the stairs and lighting it. Luke climbed into the painting, followed closely by Layton. Flora seemed unsure and nervous, but Layton offered her his hand and gently helped her into the dark passageway, the candle shining dimly along the path. Luke was on the edge of their light, peering into the darkness. Flora regained her grip on Layton's sleeve.

"Luke! Not so far so fast! Wait..."

Just then the painted sealed shut with a whoosh, blowing out Layton's candle and enveloping them in darkness. Flora gave a little cry of alarm as Layton bounded forth in the darkness, searching for Luke.

"Where are you Luke? Are you alright?"

"I'm here Professor. Its so dark, I can't see my hand in front of my face!"

"Walk towards the sound of my voice, Luke. Let's regroup and figure out what..."

Luke suddenly screamed. Hands were grasping at him from all over. They were tugging at his clothes, grabbing his ankles, pulling him back towards an unknown. "Profe...!" he tried to scream as the hands covered his mouth, pulling him away.

"Luke!" Layton and Flora ran towards what they hoped would be Luke, only to have different hands grab at them, separated them from each other. Layton grabbed what he thought was Luke's arm, only to have it ripped away as he was yanked back. Flora's muffled cries and tears were getting quieter. He tried to call for both of them, but hands covered his own face, cutting off any sight he might have had; making him unable to call out for his young charges.

Then he was falling. He regained his sight, but images were whizzing past his face. He was sure he was going to break something when he landed, if he landed, but the falling stopped suddenly as he was cushioned by a large purple foam mattress that covered the whole floor of the small room. It was no larger than a small shack, maybe 10X10 meters, white walls with a ceiling so high, he couldn't even see it.

A snatch of cream and burgundy colored something caught his eye, and he recognized Flora, lying face down on the mattress. He bounded over to her side and cradled her lifeless figure in his arms. He checked her pulse and to see if she was still breathing, and was thankful to find both going very steady. As he laid her back gently, he scanned the room again, but there was no sign of Luke.

Slowly he got up and meticulously started searching the room. He felt the walls, he pried at the mattress. He was going to get Flora and himself out of this room. Then he would get her to safety back at Mitchell's cottage. Only after he knew Flora would be safe, would he then set out for Luke. He cursed himself for bringing the children along. If only he had known how dangerous searching this odd building could be.

Meanwhile Luke was still in complete darkness. The hands had released him, but he wasn't sure where they had taken him. He was crawling on his hands and knees through the murkiness hoping to find anything that wasn't the plush carpet underneath him. Eventually he realized he was inside some sort of room. He had found all four walls and curled up in a corner. He was scared and tired and had no idea how long he had been there. He was starting to get hungry, too. He hoped someone came for him soon.

Luke's eyes adjusted after a while to the surrounding darkness and he laid his head on the cool wall. After several moments, a faint mewing startled him. The sound got louder until a soft furry head nuzzled his knees. He put a tentative hand down and a cool wet nose poked at it. The small cat bounded into Luke's lap, curled up, and started purring.

"Ebenezer? But how?" Though finally Luke realized he didn't really care. He hugged the warm animal gently, thankful for the company and finally fell asleep in his prison.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hello again! Here I am again. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. I've actually had this running around in my head for a few days, but it took awhile to get the energy to type it out. Actually I meant to finish it up with this chapter, but I'm tired, and I think its an okay place to stop. I hope you're enjoying this, and if you are, I wouldn't say no to a review (or two!) Anyways, HAPPY READING!

---------------------------------------------------

Layton didn't like being trapped. He didn't like it that Flora wasn't conscious. He didn't know how long they had been trapped there, but he was ready to be out. Thankfully, his young ward stirred quickly and awoke, and then she was ready to help him search their prison. The white walls were definitely bare and high. Nothing was concealed there. The mattress they had landed on seemed to cover the whole floor. They both searched, prying it away from the wall, hoping for some answers. Finally, Flora found something. Two buttons on the side on the mattress. One pointed up, the other down. Shrugging his shoulders, he gave the up button a push.

With a start, the mattress dropped from under them, falling deeper and deeper. Panicked, Layton held on and grasped for the other button, hoping it would stop their decent. The mattress came to an abrupt stop and thankfully started a slow decent upwards. 

---------------------------------------------------

Luke, was still dozing against the cool wall, the cat nestled in his lap. It had grown brighter in the room, but his eyes would not open, fighting consciousness. Ebenezer mewed quietly,and kneaded his legs, but he would not open his eyes. Finally a quick nip at his nose did the trick, and Luke was wide awake. He rubbed his nose and scolded the cat cheekily. 

He took inventory of his surroundings. It seemed to be a cozy, but not cramped room with no furniture. Each wall was not a normal wall, but a giant mirror that allowed Luke to look forever. A tiny skylight, not even a cubic foot, allowed the daylight in. Luke guessed that it was already morning, and he worried about the Professor and Flora. He hoped someone was looking for him. Yet somehow Ebenezer managed to get in, so all was not lost.

How did that cat get in the room? He couldn't have gotten in through the skylight, as it looked like it was shut tight. There seemed to be no visible door. The only thing he could see was his reflection, and it went on and on. He stared down at the cat, as to question him, but all Ebenezer did was smile back at him, knowingly. That frustrated Luke even more and he cursed and placed a well aimed kick at one of the walls. Frightened, Ebenezer made a leap at the opposite wall and disappeared. 

"What the?" Luke walked to the wall to examine it. It looked like it was solid. Figuring that it couldn't hurt, and really it couldn't get any worse, he took a deep breath, held it and attempted to follow he feline friend. It was still his to his surprise that he flowed right through the wall and ended up in the corridor outside the room. Ebenezer was once again smiling, as though he was congratulating him. 

"I don't even want to know how that happened," Luke paused. "Now where should I go?"

Ebenezer started a brisk trot down the hallway and Luke followed. After several dizzying turns, the pair ended up at the door of what looked like a studio apartment. A small bed was on one side of the room, complimented by a dresser, a bathroom, a kitchenette and a couple very squishy, very comfortable looking armchairs. In one, sat an older gentleman, looking worse for wear. He had a shock of white hair and wore his dressing gown. He looked up from his book and motioned Luke inside. 

"Come," he said. "There is much to be said."

----------------------------------------------------------

Back on the rising mattress, Layton and Flora's ride was coming to an end. Once their ride had come to a complete stop, they quickly searched for an exit. Layton noticed it first; part of the wall that seemed to be a doorway. He pushed hard at it with all his might and it swung open with a swish. He peaked his head through, and not seeing any danger, he and his companion, stepped through and found themselves back in the kitchen. 

"Well that's quite a relief!" he let out a relaxing sigh, happy to be out of their prison. He could see the morning light streaming through the curtains. He was sure that his friend, Mitchell, would be in a frenzy with worry, considering they had only planned to be gone a couple of hours and not all night. He took Flora by the arm and lead her out of the cube. 

"We'll get you into a comfortable bed, my dear, and then I will return and find Luke. I can only hope that he is unharmed."

When they arrived at the cottage, they found Mitchell lounging on the couch, sipping a brandy and smoking a cigar. He certainly looked as though he had not slept. His eyes were dark and his skin waxy. "Layton, you fool! What took you so long? I've been waiting for hours!"

"My apologizes, my friend, we ran into some trouble inside the house and we are thankful to be safe. Although, we were separated from Luke, and I must return at once to search for him before I can continue the search for your uncle. But first, is there a place where Flora can rest? It has been a trying night."

"Of course, I'll take good care of her."

"Thank you my friend. Now Flora, get some rest and I will be back with Luke as soon as possible."

Flora gave him a nod of her head and a small, but fleeting smile and turned to Mitchell as Layton gave a quick bow and exited the cottage. It was only then did he take a moment to ponder on the last scene. It has been very odd for Mitchell to be smoking and drinking at this early hour. In fact, he rarely saw his friend drink, but on social occasions and he never saw him smoke. Also, he didn't seem as worried as Layton and supposed he would be. If fact, he seemed more annoyed at the situation. Slowly pieces of a puzzle fit together in his mind, and he only realized it a moment too late. He had already had his hand on the doorknob of the cube when he heard Flora's scream. 

Running back to the cottage as fast as he could, Layton burst through the door as he heard Mitchell say, "I've got you now, my golden apple! The fortune will finally be mine!"

"Don Paolo! Unhand her this instant!"

"What are you going to do Layton?" he mocked,as he removed his mask, revealing his dastardly self. "I won't be scared away so easily!" 

"Just this!" Layton had glanced around and found a fencing foil decoratively placed on the wall. "En garde!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I won the champion fencing tournament 4 years running in school! I could slice you like an apple and never touch a single hair on Flora's head! Now release her!"

"Curse you Layton, you'll regret this day! I swear I'll make you pay!" Suddenly, Don Paolo thrust Flora towards Layton, who caught her as the both tried to regain their balance. Once steady, Layton tried to follow his enemy, but Don Paolo was already gone from sight. 

A quick search of the cottage found the real Mitchell tied up and gaged in the basement. Mitchell had waited several hours past the time his friends were meant to return before he could not be still any longer. He determined to brave the mysteries of the cube and hopefully find his friends or be lost forever. He had only gone so far as his own door step when someone bashed him on the head. When he regained consciousness, he was tied up and there was nothing he could do. 

Layton quickly explained the situation with the mad Don Paolo, their adventure in the cube and the disappearance of Luke. Understanding that time was of the essence, Mitchell helped his friend tuck Flora into a bed. Then once reassured that his young ward and friend were safe, Layton headed back to the curious house for the second time. 


End file.
